Electrosurgical device with disposable shaft having modular subassembly

ABSTRACT

An apparatus comprises an end effector, a shaft assembly, and an interface assembly. The end effector is operable to manipulate tissue, the shaft assembly is in communication with the end effector and a portion of the shaft assembly extends proximally from the end effector. The interface assembly is in communication with the shaft assembly. The interface assembly comprises a housing portion, a shaft cartridge, and a base portion. The housing portion can engage the shaft cartridge. The shaft cartridge is able to rotate and articulate the end effector, and the shaft assembly extends from the shaft cartridge. The base portion and the housing portion are able to enclose the shaft cartridge.

BACKGROUND

A variety of surgical instruments include a tissue cutting element andone or more elements that transmit radio frequency (RF) energy to tissue(e.g., to coagulate or seal the tissue). An example of an RFelectrosurgical instrument is the ENSEAL® Tissue Sealing Device byEthicon Endo-Surgery, Inc., of Cincinnati, Ohio. Further examples ofsuch devices and related concepts are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.6,500,176 entitled “Electrosurgical Systems and Techniques for SealingTissue,” issued Dec. 31, 2002, the disclosure of which is incorporatedby reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 7,112,201 entitled “ElectrosurgicalInstrument and Method of Use,” issued Sep. 26, 2006, the disclosure ofwhich is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 7,125,409,entitled “Electrosurgical Working End for Controlled Energy Delivery,”issued Oct. 24, 2006, the disclosure of which is incorporated byreference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 7,169,146 entitled “ElectrosurgicalProbe and Method of Use,” issued Jan. 30, 2007, the disclosure of whichis incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 7,186,253, entitled“Electrosurgical Jaw Structure for Controlled Energy Delivery,” issuedMar. 6, 2007, the disclosure of which is incorporated by referenceherein; U.S. Pat. No. 7,189,233, entitled “Electrosurgical Instrument,”issued Mar. 13, 2007, the disclosure of which is incorporated byreference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 7,220,951, entitled “Surgical SealingSurfaces and Methods of Use,” issued May 22, 2007, the disclosure ofwhich is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 7,309,849,entitled “Polymer Compositions Exhibiting a PTC Property and Methods ofFabrication,” issued Dec. 18, 2007, the disclosure of which isincorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 7,311,709, entitled“Electrosurgical Instrument and Method of Use,” issued Dec. 25, 2007,the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat.No. 7,354,440, entitled “Electrosurgical Instrument and Method of Use,”issued Apr. 8, 2008, the disclosure of which is incorporated byreference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 7,381,209, entitled “ElectrosurgicalInstrument,” issued Jun. 3, 2008, the disclosure of which isincorporated by reference herein.

Additional examples of electrosurgical cutting instruments and relatedconcepts are disclosed in U.S. Pub. No. 2011/0087218, entitled “SurgicalInstrument Comprising First and Second Drive Systems Actuatable by aCommon Trigger Mechanism,” published Apr. 14, 2011, the disclosure ofwhich is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pub. No. 2012/0116379,entitled “Motor Driven Electrosurgical Device with Mechanical andElectrical Feedback,” published May 10, 2012, the disclosure of which isincorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pub. No. 2012/0078243, entitled“Control Features for Articulating Surgical Device,” published Mar. 29,2012, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S.Pub. No. 2012/0078247, entitled “Articulation Joint Features forArticulating Surgical Device,” published Mar. 29, 2012, the disclosureof which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pub. No.2013/0030428, entitled “Surgical Instrument with Multi-Phase TriggerBias,” published Jan. 31, 2013, the disclosure of which is incorporatedby reference herein; and U.S. Pub. No. 2013/0023868, entitled “SurgicalInstrument with Contained Dual Helix Actuator Assembly,” published Jan.31, 2013, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.

In addition, a variety of surgical instruments include a shaft having anarticulation section, providing enhanced positioning capabilities for anend effector that is located distal to the articulation section of theshaft. Examples of such devices include various models of the ENDOPATH®endocutters by Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc., of Cincinnati, Ohio. Furtherexamples of such devices and related concepts are disclosed in U.S. Pat.No. 7,380,696, entitled “Articulating Surgical Stapling InstrumentIncorporating a Two-Piece E-Beam Firing Mechanism,” issued Jun. 3, 2008,the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat.No. 7,404,508, entitled “Surgical Stapling and Cutting Device.” issuedJul. 29, 2008, the disclosure of which is incorporated by referenceherein; U.S. Pat. No. 7,455,208, entitled “Surgical Instrument withArticulating Shaft with Rigid Firing Bar Supports,” issued Nov. 25,2008, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S.Pat. No. 7,506,790, entitled “Surgical Instrument Incorporating anElectrically Actuated Articulation Mechanism,” issued Mar. 24, 2009, thedisclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No.7,549,564, entitled “Surgical Stapling Instrument with an ArticulatingEnd Effector,” issued Jun. 23, 2009, the disclosure of which isincorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 7,559,450, entitled“Surgical Instrument Incorporating a Fluid Transfer ControlledArticulation Mechanism,” issued Jul. 14, 2009, the disclosure of whichis incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 7,654,431, entitled“Surgical Instrument with Guided Laterally Moving Articulation Member,”issued Feb. 2, 2010, the disclosure of which is incorporated byreference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 7,780,054, entitled “Surgical Instrumentwith Laterally Moved Shaft Actuator Coupled to Pivoting ArticulationJoint,” issued Aug. 24, 2010, the disclosure of which is incorporated byreference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 7,784,662, entitled “Surgical Instrumentwith Articulating Shaft with Single Pivot Closure and Double Pivot FrameGround,” issued Aug. 31, 2010, the disclosure of which is incorporatedby reference herein; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,798,386, entitled “SurgicalInstrument Articulation Joint Cover,” issued Sep. 21, 2010, thedisclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.

Some surgical systems provide robotic control of a surgical instrument.With minimally invasive robotic surgery, surgical operations may beperformed through a small incision in the patient's body. A roboticsurgical system may be used with various types of surgical instruments,including but not limited to surgical staplers, ultrasonic instruments,electrosurgical instruments, and/or various other kinds of instruments,as will be described in greater detail below. An example of a roboticsurgical system is the DAVINCI™ system by Intuitive Surgical, Inc., ofSunnyvale, Calif. By way of further example, one or more aspects ofrobotic surgical systems are disclosed in the following: U.S. Pat. No.5,792,135, entitled “Articulated Surgical Instrument For PerformingMinimally Invasive Surgery With Enhanced Dexterity and Sensitivity,”issued Aug. 11, 1998, the disclosure of which is incorporated byreference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 5,817,084, entitled “Remote CenterPositioning Device with Flexible Drive.” issued Oct. 6, 1998, thedisclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No.5,878,193, entitled “Automated Endoscope System for OptimalPositioning,” issued Mar. 2, 1999, the disclosure of which isincorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 6,231,565, entitled“Robotic Arm DLUS for Performing Surgical Tasks,” issued May 15, 2001,the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat.No. 6,783,524, entitled “Robotic Surgical Tool with UltrasoundCauterizing and Cutting Instrument,” issued Aug. 31, 2004, thedisclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No.6,364,888, entitled “Alignment of Master and Slave in a MinimallyInvasive Surgical Apparatus,” issued Apr. 2, 2002, the disclosure ofwhich is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 7,524,320,entitled “Mechanical Actuator Interface System for Robotic SurgicalTools,” issued Apr. 28, 2009, the disclosure of which is incorporated byreference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 7,691,098, entitled “Platform Link WristMechanism,” issued Apr. 6, 2010, the disclosure of which is incorporatedby reference herein; U.S. Pat. No. 7,806,891, entitled “Repositioningand Reorientation of Master/Slave Relationship in Minimally InvasiveTelesurgery,” issued Oct. 5, 2010, the disclosure of which isincorporated by reference herein; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,824,401, entitled“Surgical Tool With Writed Monopolar Electrosurgical End Effectors,”issued Nov. 2, 2010, the disclosure of which is incorporated byreference herein.

Additional examples of instruments that may be incorporated with arobotic surgical system are described in U.S. Pub. No. 2013/0012957,entitled “Automated End Effector Component Reloading System for Use witha Robotic System, published Jan. 10, 2013, the disclosure of which isincorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pub. No. 2012/0199630, entitled“Robotically-Controlled Surgical Instrument with Force-FeedbackCapabilities,” published Aug. 9, 2012, the disclosure of which isincorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pub. No. 2012/0132450, entitled“Shiftable Drive Interface for Robotically-Controlled Surgical Tool.”published May 31, 2012, the disclosure of which is incorporated byreference herein; U.S. Pub. No. 2012/0199633, entitled “SurgicalStapling Instruments with Cam-Driven Staple Deployment Arrangements,”published Aug. 9, 2012, the disclosure of which is incorporated byreference herein; U.S. Pub. No. 2012/0199631, entitled“Robotically-Controlled Motorized Surgical End Effector System withRotary Actuated Closure Systems Having Variable Actuation Speeds,”published Aug. 9, 2012, the disclosure of which is incorporated byreference herein; U.S. Pub. No. 2012/0199632, entitled“Robotically-Controlled Surgical Instrument with SelectivelyArticulatable End Effector,” published Aug. 9, 2012, the disclosure ofwhich is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pub. No. 2012/0203247,entitled “Robotically-Controlled Surgical End Effector System,”published Aug. 9, 2012, the disclosure of which is incorporated byreference herein; U.S. Pub. No. 2012/0211546, entitled “Drive Interfacefor Operably Coupling a Manipulatable Surgical Tool to a Robot,”published Aug. 23, 2012; U.S. Pub. No. 2012/0138660, entitled“Robotically-Controlled Cable-Based Surgical End Effectors,” publishedJun. 7, 2012, the disclosure of which is incorporated by referenceherein; U.S. Pub. No. 2012/0205421, entitled “Robotically-ControlledSurgical End Effector System with Rotary Actuated Closure Systems,”published Aug. 16, 2012, the disclosure of which is incorporated byreference herein; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/443,101, entitled“Control Interface for Laparoscopic Suturing Instrument,” filed Apr. 10,2012, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; andU.S. Provisional Pat. App. No. 61/597,603, entitled “RoboticallyControlled Surgical Instrument,” filed Feb. 10, 2012, the disclosure ofwhich is incorporated by reference herein.

While several surgical instruments and systems have been made and used,it is believed that no one prior to the inventors has made or used theinvention described in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

While the specification concludes with claims which particularly pointout and distinctly claim this technology, it is believed this technologywill be better understood from the following description of certainexamples taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in whichlike reference numerals identify the same elements and in which:

FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of an exemplary robotic surgical system;

FIG. 2 depicts a perspective view of an exemplary controller of thesystem of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 depicts a perspective view of an exemplary robotic arm cart ofthe system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 depicts a perspective view of an exemplary surgical instrumentsuitable for incorporation with the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 depicts a perspective view of the shaft assembly of the surgicalinstrument of FIG. 4:

FIG. 6 depicts a perspective view of components of the shaft assembly ofFIG. 5;

FIG. 7 depicts a top plan view of a distal portion of the shaft assemblyof FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 depicts a perspective view of the end effector of the shaftassembly of FIG. 5, in an open configuration;

FIG. 9 depicts a perspective view in cross-section of the end effectorof FIG. 8, taken along a lateral plane, with the end effector in aclosed configuration;

FIG. 10 depicts a bottom plan view of a proximal portion of theinstrument of FIG. 4;

FIG. 11 depicts a perspective view of the instrument of FIG. 4, with atop cover removed;

FIG. 12 depicts a left side elevational view of the instrument of FIG.4, with the top cover removed;

FIG. 13 depicts a right side elevational view of the instrument of FIG.4, with the top cover removed;

FIG. 14 depicts a top, perspective view of an exemplary alternativesurgical instrument for incorporation with the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 15 depicts a top, perspective view of the surgical instrument ofFIG. 1 with the housing and the base removed from the separablecompartment;

FIG. 16 depicts a bottom, perspective view of the housing of thesurgical instrument of FIG. 1;

FIG. 17 depicts a top, perspective view of the separable compartment ofthe surgical instrument of FIG. 1, with a housing portion omitted toreveal internal components;

FIG. 18 depicts a top, perspective view of the base of the surgicalinstrument of FIG. 1;

FIG. 19 depicts a top, plan view of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1showing the drive shafts of the base engaging the internal portions ofthe separable compartment;

FIG. 20 depicts a top, perspective view of the surgical instrument ofFIG. 1 showing the drive shafts of the base engaging the internalportions of the separable compartment;

FIG. 21 depicts a perspective, cross sectional view of the shaftassembly of FIG. 1 taken along the line 21-21 of FIG. 20;

FIG. 22 depicts a top, perspective view of an exemplary alternativesurgical instrument for incorporation with the system of FIG. 1, with ahousing with a door;

FIG. 23 depicts a top, perspective, cross sectional view of the surgicalinstrument of FIG. 22, taken along the line 23-23 of FIG. 22;

FIG. 24 depicts a top, plan view of the surgical instrument of FIG. 22with the housing removed:

FIG. 25 depicts a top perspective view of an exemplary alternativesurgical instrument for incorporation with the system of FIG. 1, with acover separated from a base:

FIG. 26 depicts a bottom, perspective view of the cover of the surgicalinstrument of FIG. 25;

FIG. 27 depicts a top, perspective view of the base of the surgicalinstrument of FIG. 25; and

FIG. 28 depicts a top, plan, internal view of the surgical instrument ofFIG. 25 with the cover housing removed.

The drawings are not intended to be limiting in any way, and it iscontemplated that various embodiments of the technology may be carriedout in a variety of other ways, including those not necessarily depictedin the drawings. The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming apart of the specification illustrate several aspects of the presenttechnology, and together with the description serve to explain theprinciples of the technology; it being understood, however, that thistechnology is not limited to the precise arrangements shown.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description of certain examples of the technology shouldnot be used to limit its scope. Other examples, features, aspects,embodiments, and advantages of the technology will become apparent tothose skilled in the art from the following description, which is by wayof illustration, one of the best modes contemplated for carrying out thetechnology. As will be realized, the technology described herein iscapable of other different and obvious aspects, all without departingfrom the technology. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions shouldbe regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive.

It is further understood that any one or more of the teachings,expressions, embodiments, examples, etc. described herein may becombined with any one or more of the other teachings, expressions,embodiments, examples, etc. that are described herein. Thefollowing-described teachings, expressions, embodiments, examples, etc.should therefore not be viewed in isolation relative to each other.Various suitable ways in which the teachings herein may be combined willbe readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of theteachings herein. Such modifications and variations are intended to beincluded within the scope of the claims.

For clarity of disclosure, the terms “proximal” and “distal” are definedherein relative to a robotic surgical driver comprising a proximalhousing having an interface that mechanically and electrically coupleswith a surgical instrument having a distal surgical end effector. Theterm “proximal” refers the position of an element closer to the roboticsurgical driver housing and the term “distal” refers to the position ofan element closer to the surgical end effector of the surgicalinstrument and further away from the housing.

I. Exemplary Robotic Surgical System Overview

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary robotic surgical system (10). System(10) comprises at least one controller (14) and at least one arm cart(18). Arm cart (18) is mechanically and/or electrically coupled to oneor more robotic manipulators or arms (20). Each robotic arm (20)comprises one or more surgical instruments (22) for performing varioussurgical tasks on a patient (24). Operation of arm cart (18), includingarms (20) and instruments (22), may be directed by a clinician (12) fromcontroller (14). In some examples, a second controller (14′), operatedby a second clinician (12′), may also direct operation of the arm cart(18) in conjunction with the first clinician (12′). For example, each ofthe clinicians (12, 12′) may control different arms (20) of the cart or,in some cases, complete control of arm cart (18) may be passed betweenthe clinicians (12, 12′). In some examples, additional arm carts (notshown) may be utilized on the patient (24). These additional arm cartsmay be controlled by one or more of the controllers (14, 14′).

Arm cart(s) (18) and controllers (14, 14′) may be in communication withone another via a communications link (16), which may be any suitabletype of wired and/or wireless communications link carrying any suitabletype of signal (e.g., electrical, optical, infrared, etc.) according toany suitable communications protocol. Communications link (16) may be anactual physical link or it may be a logical link that uses one or moreactual physical links. When the link is a logical link the type ofphysical link may be a data link, uplink, downlink, fiber optic link,point-to-point link, for example, as is well known in the computernetworking art to refer to the communications facilities that connectnodes of a network.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary controller (30) that may serve as a controller(14) of system (10). In this example, controller (30) generally includesuser input assembly (32) having precision user input features (notshown) that are grasped by the surgeon and manipulated in space whilethe surgeon views the surgical procedure via a stereo display (34). Theuser input features of user input assembly (32) may include manual inputdevices that move with multiple degrees of freedom; and that include anactuatable handle for intuitively actuating tools (e.g., for closinggrasping saws, applying an electrical potential to an electrode, etc).Controller (30) of the present example also includes an array offootswitches (38) providing additional control of arms (20) andinstruments (22) to the surgeon. Display (34) may show views from one ormore endoscopes viewing the surgical site within the patient and/or anyother suitable view(s). In addition, a feedback meter (36) may be viewedthrough the display (34) and provide the surgeon with a visualindication of the amount of force being applied to a component ofinstrument (22) (e.g., a cutting member or clamping member, etc.). Othersensor arrangements may be employed to provide controller (30) with anindication as to whether a staple cartridge has been loaded into an endeffector of instrument (22), whether an anvil of instrument (22) hasbeen moved to a closed position prior to firing, and/or some otheroperational condition of instrument (22).

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary robotic arm cart (40) that may serve as of armcart (18) of system (10). In this example, arm cart (40) is operable toactuate a plurality of surgical instruments (50). While threeinstruments (50) are shown in this example, it should be understood thatarm cart (40) may be operable to support and actuate any suitable numberof surgical instruments (50). Surgical instruments (50) are eachsupported by a series of manually articulatable linkages, generallyreferred to as set-up joints (44), and a robotic manipulator (46). Thesestructures are herein illustrated with protective covers extending overmuch of the robotic linkage. These protective covers may be optional,and may be limited in size or entirely eliminated in some versions tominimize the inertia that is encountered by the servo mechanisms used tomanipulate such devices, to limit the volume of moving components so asto avoid collisions, and to limit the overall weight of cart (40).

Each robotic manipulator (46) terminates at an instrument platform (70),which is pivotable, rotatable, and otherwise movable by manipulator(46). Each platform includes an instrument dock (72) that is slidablealong a pair of tracks (74) to further position instrument (50). Suchsliding is motorized in the present example. Each instrument dock (72)includes mechanical and electrical interfaces that couple with aninterface assembly (52) of instrument (50). By way of example only, dock(72) may include four rotary outputs that couple with complementaryrotary inputs of interface assembly (52). Such rotary drive features maydrive various functionalities in instrument (50), such as is describedin various references cited herein and/or as is described in greaterdetail below. Electrical interfaces may establish communication viaphysical contact, inductive coupling, and/or otherwise; and may beoperable to provide electrical power to one or more features ininstrument (50), provide commands and/or data communication toinstrument (50), and/or provide commands and/or data communication frominstrument (50). Various suitable ways in which an instrument dock (72)may mechanically and electrically communicate with an interface assembly(52) of an instrument (50) will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art in view of the teachings herein. It should also be understoodthat instrument (50) may include one or more cables that couple with aseparate power source and/or control unit, to provide communication ofpower and/or commands/data to/from instrument (50).

Arm cart (40) of the present example also includes a base (48) that ismovable (e.g., by a single attendant) to selectively position arm cart(40) in relation to a patient. Cart (40) may generally have dimensionssuitable for transporting the cart (40) between operating rooms. Cart(40) may be configured to fit through standard operating room doors andonto standard hospital elevators. In some versions, an automatedinstrument reloading system (not shown) may also be positioned in ornear the work envelope (60) of arm cart (40), to selectively reloadcomponents (e.g., staple cartridges, etc.) of instruments (50).

In addition to the foregoing, it should be understood that one or moreaspects of system (10) may be constructed in accordance with at leastsome of the teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 5,792,135; 5,817,084; 5,878,193;6,231,565; 6,783,524; 6,364,888; 7,524,320; 7,691,098; 7,806,891;7,824,401; and/or U.S. Pub. No. 2013/0012957. The disclosures of each ofthe foregoing U.S. Patents and U.S. Patent Publication are incorporatedby reference herein. Still other suitable features and operabilitiesthat may be incorporated into system (10) will be apparent to those ofordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings herein.

II. Exemplary Electrosurgical Instrument with Articulation Feature

FIGS. 4-13 show an exemplary electrosurgical instrument (100) that maybe used as at least one instrument (50) within system (10). At leastpart of instrument (100) may be constructed and operable in accordancewith at least some of the teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 6,500,176;7,112,201; 7,125,409; 7,169,146; 7,186,253; 7,189,233; 7,220,951;7,309,849; 7,311,709; 7,354,440; 7,381,209; U.S. Pub. No. 2011/0087218;U.S. Pub. No. 2012/0116379; U.S. Pub. No. 2012/0078243; U.S. Pub. No.2012/0078247; U.S. Pub. No. 2013/0030428; and/or U.S. Pub. No.2013/0023868. As described therein and as will be described in greaterdetail below, instrument (100) is operable to cut tissue and seal orweld tissue (e.g., a blood vessel, etc.) substantially simultaneously.In other words, instrument (100) operates similar to an endocutter typeof stapler, except that instrument (100) provides tissue welding throughapplication of bipolar RF energy instead of providing lines of staplesto join tissue. It should also be understood that instrument (100) mayhave various structural and functional similarities with the ENSEAL®Tissue Sealing Device by Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc., of Cincinnati,Ohio. Furthermore, instrument (100) may have various structural andfunctional similarities with the devices taught in any of the otherreferences that are cited and incorporated by reference herein. To theextent that there is some degree of overlap between the teachings of thereferences cited herein, the ENSEAL® Tissue Sealing Device by EthiconEndo-Surgery, Inc., of Cincinnati, Ohio, and the following teachingsrelating to instrument (100), there is no intent for any of thedescription herein to be presumed as admitted prior art. Severalteachings herein will in fact go beyond the scope of the teachings ofthe references cited herein and the ENSEAL® Tissue Sealing Device byEthicon Endo-Surgery, Inc., of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Instrument (100) of the present example includes an interface assembly(110), a shaft assembly (160), an articulation section (170), and an endeffector (180). Interface assembly (110) is configured to couple with adock (72) of robotic arm cart (40) and is thereby further operable todrive articulation section (170) and end effector (180) as will bedescribed in greater detail below. As will also be described in greaterdetail below, instrument (100) is operable to articulate end effector(180) to provide a desired positioning relative to tissue (e.g., a largeblood vessel, etc.), then sever the tissue and apply bipolar RF energyto the tissue with end effector (180) to thereby seal the tissue.

A. Exemplary Shaft Assembly and Articulation Section

Shaft assembly (160) of the present example extends distally frominterface assembly (110). Articulation section (170) is located at thedistal end of shaft assembly (160), with end effector (180) beinglocated distal to articulation section (170). Shaft assembly (160)includes an outer sheath (162) that encloses drive features andelectrical features that couple interface assembly (110) witharticulation section (170) and end effector (180). As best seen in FIG.5, shaft assembly (160) further includes a unitary rotary coupling (164)and a firing beam coupling (166). Shaft assembly (160) is rotatableabout the longitudinal axis defined by sheath (162), relative tointerface assembly (110), via rotary coupling (164). Such rotation mayprovide rotation of end effector (180), articulation section (170), andshaft assembly (160) unitarily. In some other versions, rotary coupling(164) is operable to rotate end effector (180) without rotating anyportion of shaft assembly (160) that is proximal of articulation section(170). As another merely illustrative example, instrument (100) mayinclude one rotation control that provides rotatability of shaftassembly (160) and end effector (180) as a single unit; and anotherrotation control that provides rotatability of end effector (180)without rotating any portion of shaft assembly (160) that is proximal ofarticulation section (170). Other suitable rotation schemes will beapparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachingsherein. Of course, rotatable features may simply be omitted if desired.

Articulation section (170) is operable to selectively position endeffector (180) at various angles relative to the longitudinal axisdefined by sheath (162). Articulation section (170) may take a varietyof forms. By way of example only, articulation section (170) may beconfigured in accordance with one or more teachings of U.S. Pub. No.201210078247, the disclosure of which is incorporated by referenceherein. As another merely illustrative example, articulation section(170) may be configured in accordance with one or more teachings of U.S.Pub. No. 2012/0078248, entitled “Articulation Joint Features forArticulating Surgical Device,” published Mar. 29, 2012, the disclosureof which is incorporated by reference herein. Various other suitableforms that articulation section (170) may take will be apparent to thoseof ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings herein. It shouldalso be understood that some versions of instrument (10) may simply lackarticulation section (170).

As best seen in FIGS. 6-7, articulation section (170) of the presentexample comprises a ribbed body (172) with a pair of articulation beams(174, 176) extending through ribbed body (172). An upper half of ribbedbody (172) is omitted in FIG. 6. Articulation beams (174, 176) aredistally anchored within a tube (178) that is positioned between endeffector (180) and articulation section (170). Articulation beams (174,176) are operable to articulate end effector (180) by laterallydeflecting end effector (180) away from the longitudinal axis defined bysheath (162). In particular, and referring to the view shown in FIG. 7,end effector (180) will deflect toward articulation beam (174) whenarticulation beam (174) is retracted proximally while articulation beam(176) is advanced distally. End effector (180) will deflect towardarticulation beam (176) when articulation beam (176) is retractedproximally while articulation beam (174) is advanced distally. Merelyillustrative examples of how articulation beams (174, 176) may beopposingly translated will be described in greater detail below, whilestill other examples will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in theart in view of the teachings herein. As best seen in FIG. 6, a spacerbody (177) is positioned between articulation beams (174, 176) and isoperable to maintain beams (174, 176) in a substantially straight,separated relationship.

B. Exemplary End Effector

End effector (180) of the present example comprises a first jaw (182)and a second jaw (184). In the present example, first jaw (182) issubstantially fixed relative to shaft assembly (160); while second jaw(184) pivots relative to shaft assembly (160), toward and away fromfirst jaw (182). In some versions, actuators such as rods or cables,etc., may extend through sheath (162) and be joined with second jaw(184) at a pivotal coupling, such that longitudinal movement of theactuator rods/cables/etc. through shaft assembly (160) provides pivotingof second jaw (184) relative to shaft assembly (160) and relative tofirst jaw (182). Of course, jaws (182, 184) may instead have any othersuitable kind of movement and may be actuated in any other suitablefashion. By way of example only, and as will be described in greaterdetail below, jaws (182, 184) may be actuated and thus closed bylongitudinal translation of a firing beam (190), such that actuatorrods/cables/etc. may simply be eliminated in some versions.

As best seen in FIGS. 8-9, first jaw (182) defines a longitudinallyextending elongate slot (183); while second jaw (184) also defines alongitudinally extending elongate slot (185). In addition, the top sideof first jaw (182) presents a first electrode surface (186); while theunderside of second jaw (184) presents a second electrode surface (187).Electrode surface (186, 187) are in communication with an electricalsource (102) via one or more conductors (not shown) that extend alongthe length of shaft assembly (160). Electrical source (102) is operableto deliver RF energy to first electrode surface (186) at a firstpolarity and to second electrode surface (187) at a second (opposite)polarity, such that RF current flows between electrode surface (186,187) and thereby through tissue captured between jaws (182, 184). Insome versions, firing beam (190) serves as an electrical conductor thatcooperates with electrode surface (186, 187) (e.g., as a ground return)for delivery of bipolar RF energy captured between jaws (182, 184).

Electrical source (102) may be external to instrument (100) or may beintegral with instrument (100), as described in one or more referencescited herein or otherwise. A controller (104) regulates delivery ofpower from electrical source (102) to electrode surfaces (186, 187).Controller (104) may also be external to instrument (100) or may beintegral with electrosurgical instrument (100), as described in one ormore references cited herein or otherwise. It should also be understoodthat electrode surfaces (186, 187) may be provided in a variety ofalternative locations, configurations, and relationships. It should alsobe understood that power source (102) and/or controller (104) may beconfigured in accordance with at least some of the teachings of U.S.Provisional Pat. App. No. 61/550,768, entitled “Medical Instrument,”filed Oct. 24, 2011, the disclosure of which is incorporated byreference herein; U.S. Pub. No. 2011/0082486, entitled “Devices andTechniques for Cutting and Coagulating Tissue,” published Apr. 7, 2011,the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pub.No. 2011/0087212, entitled “Surgical Generator for Ultrasonic andElectrosurgical Devices.” published Apr. 14, 2011, the disclosure ofwhich is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pub. No. 2011/0087213,entitled “Surgical Generator for Ultrasonic and ElectrosurgicalDevices,” published Apr. 14, 2011, the disclosure of which isincorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pub. No. 2011/0087214, entitled“Surgical Generator for Ultrasonic and Electrosurgical Devices,”published Apr. 14, 2011, the disclosure of which is incorporated byreference herein; U.S. Pub. No. 2011/0087215, entitled “SurgicalGenerator for Ultrasonic and Electrosurgical Devices,” published Apr.14, 2011, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein;U.S. Pub. No. 2011/0087216, entitled “Surgical Generator for Ultrasonicand Electrosurgical Devices.” published Apr. 14, 2011, the disclosure ofwhich is incorporated by reference herein; and/or U.S. Pub. No.2011/0087217, entitled “Surgical Generator for Ultrasonic andElectrosurgical Devices,” published Apr. 14, 2011, the disclosure ofwhich is incorporated by reference herein. Other suitable configurationsfor power source (102) and controller (104) will be apparent to those ofordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings herein.

As best seen in FIG. 9, the lower side of first jaw (182) includes alongitudinally extending recess (197) adjacent to slot (183); while theupper side of second jaw (184) includes a longitudinally extendingrecess (193) adjacent to slot (185). FIG. 2 shows the upper side offirst jaw (182) including a plurality of teeth serrations (188). Itshould be understood that the lower side of second jaw (184) may includecomplementary serrations that nest with serrations (188), to enhancegripping of tissue captured between jaws (182, 184) without necessarilytearing the tissue. Of course, serrations (188) may take any othersuitable form or may be simply omitted altogether. It should also beunderstood that serrations (188) may be formed of an electricallynon-conductive, or insulative, material, such as plastic, glass, and/orceramic, for example, and may include a treatment such aspolytetrafluoroethylene, a lubricant, or some other treatment tosubstantially prevent tissue from getting stuck to jaws (182, 184).

With jaws (182, 184) in a closed position, shaft assembly (160) and endeffector (180) are sized and configured to fit through trocars havingvarious inner diameters, such that instrument (100) is usable inminimally invasive surgery, though of course instrument (100) could alsobe used in open procedures if desired. By way of example only, with jaws(182, 184) in a closed position, shaft assembly (160) and end effector(180) may present an outer diameter of approximately 5 mm.Alternatively, shaft assembly (160) and end effector (180) may presentany other suitable outer diameter (e.g., between approximately 2 mm andapproximately 20 mm, etc.).

In some versions, end effector (180) includes one or more sensors (notshown) that are configured to sense a variety of parameters at endeffector (180), including but not limited to temperature of adjacenttissue, electrical resistance or impedance of adjacent tissue, voltageacross adjacent tissue, forces exerted on jaws (182, 184) by adjacenttissue, etc. By way of example only, end effector (180) may include oneor more positive temperature coefficient (PTC) thermistor bodies (189)(e.g., PTC polymer, etc.), located adjacent to electrodes (186, 187)and/or elsewhere. Data from sensors may be communicated to controller(104). Controller (104) may process such data in a variety of ways. Byway of example only, controller (104) may modulate or otherwise changethe RF energy being delivered to electrode surface (186, 187), based atleast in part on data acquired from one or more sensors at end effector(180). In addition or in the alternative, controller (104) may alert theuser to one or more conditions via an audio and/or visual feedbackdevice (e.g., speaker, lights, display screen, etc.), based at least inpart on data acquired from one or more sensors at end effector (180). Itshould also be understood that some kinds of sensors need notnecessarily be in communication with controller (104), and may simplyprovide a purely localized effect at end effector (180). For instance.PTC thermistor bodies (189) at end effector (180) may automaticallyreduce the energy delivery at electrode surface (186, 187) as thetemperature of the tissue and/or end effector (180) increases, therebyreducing the likelihood of overheating. In some such versions, a PTCthermistor element is in series with power source (102) and electrodesurface (186, 187); and the PTC thermistor provides an increasedimpedance (reducing flow of current) in response to temperaturesexceeding a threshold. Furthermore, it should be understood thatelectrode surface (186, 187) may be used as sensors (e.g., to sensetissue impedance, etc.). Various kinds of sensors that may beincorporated into instrument (100) will be apparent to those of ordinaryskill in the art in view of the teachings herein. Similarly variousthings that can be done with data from sensors, by controller (104) orotherwise, will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art inview of the teachings herein. Other suitable variations for end effector(180) will also be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art inview of the teachings herein.

Firing beam (190) is longitudinally movable along part of the length ofend effector (180). Firing beam (190) is coaxially positioned withinshaft assembly (160), extends along part of the the length of shaftassembly (160), and translates longitudinally within shaft assembly(160) (including articulation section (170) in the present example),though it should be understood that firing beam (190) and shaft assembly(160) may have any other suitable relationship. As shown in FIG. 6,firing beam (190) is secured to a firing block (168), such that firingbeam (190) and firing block (168) translate unitarily together withinsheath (162). Firing block (168) is secured to firing tube (167), whichis best seen in FIG. 5. Firing block (168) and firing tube (167)translate unitarily together within sheath (162). Firing beam coupling(166) is secured to firing tube (167), such that translating firing beamcoupling (166) will translate firing beam (190) through theabove-described couplings.

Firing beam (190) includes a sharp distal blade (194), an upper flange(192), and a lower flange (196). As best seen in FIGS. 8-9, distal blade(194) extends through slots (183, 185) of jaws (182, 184), with upperflange (192) being located above jaw (184) in recess (59) and lowerflange (196) being located below jaw (182) in recess (58). Theconfiguration of distal blade (194) and flanges (62, 66) provides an“l-beam” type of cross section at the distal end of firing beam (190).While flanges (192, 196) extend longitudinally only along a smallportion of the length of firing beam (190) in the present example, itshould be understood that flanges (192, 196) may extend longitudinallyalong any suitable length of firing beam (190). In addition, whileflanges (192, 196) are positioned along the exterior of jaws (182, 184),flanges (192, 196) may alternatively be disposed in corresponding slotsformed within jaws (182, 184). For instance, each jaw (182, 184) maydefine a ‘T’-shaped slot, with parts of distal blade (194) beingdisposed in one vertical portion of each ‘T’-shaped slot and withflanges (192, 196) being disposed in the horizontal portions of the“T”-shaped slots. Various other suitable configurations andrelationships will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art inview of the teachings herein.

Distal blade (194) is substantially sharp, such that distal blade (194)will readily sever tissue that is captured between jaws (182, 184).Distal blade (194) is also electrically grounded in the present example,providing a return path for RF energy as described elsewhere herein. Insome other versions, distal blade (194) serves as an active electrode.In addition or in the alternative, distal blade (194) may be selectivelyenergized with ultrasonic energy (e.g., harmonic vibrations atapproximately 55.5 kHz, etc.).

The “I-beam” type of configuration of firing beam (190) provides closureof jaws (182, 184) as firing beam (190) is advanced distally. Inparticular, flange (192) urges jaw (184) pivotally toward jaw (182) asfiring beam (190) is advanced from a proximal position to a distalposition, by bearing against recess (193) formed in jaw (184). Thisclosing effect on jaws (182, 184) by firing beam (190) may occur beforedistal blade (194) reaches tissue captured between jaws (182, 184). Suchstaging of encounters by firing beam (190) may reduce the force requiredto actuate firing beam (190) distally through a full firing stroke. Inother words, in some such versions, firing beam (190) may have alreadyovercome an initial resistance required to substantially close jaws(182, 184) on tissue before encountering resistance from severing thetissue captured between jaws (182, 184). Of course, any other suitablestaging may be provided.

In the present example, flange (192) is configured to cam against a rampfeature at the proximal end of jaw (184) to open jaw (184) when firingbeam (190) is retracted to a proximal position and to hold jaw (184)open when firing beam (190) remains at the proximal position. Thiscamming capability may facilitate use of end effector (180) to separatelayers of tissue, to perform blunt dissections, etc., by forcing jaws(182, 184) apart from a closed position. In some other versions, jaws(182, 184) are resiliently biased to an open position by a spring orother type of resilient feature. While jaws (182, 184) close or open asfiring beam (190) is translated in the present example, it should beunderstood that other versions may provide independent movement of jaws(182, 184) and firing beam (190). By way of example only, one or morecables, rods, beams, or other features may extend through shaft assembly(160) to selectively actuate jaws (182, 184) independently of firingbeam (190).

C. Exemplary Robotic Arm Interface Assembly

FIGS. 4 and 10-13 show interface assembly (110) of the present examplein greater detail. As shown, interface assembly (110) comprises ahousing (112), a base (114), and a cable (118). Housing (112) comprisesa shell that simply encloses drive components. In some versions, housing(112) also includes an electronic circuit board, chip, and/or otherfeature that is configured to identify instrument (100). Suchidentification may be carried out through cable (118). Cable (118) isconfigured to couple with power source (102) and controller (104). Astrain relief (119) is provided at the interface of cable (118) andhousing (112). It should be noted that housing (112) is omitted fromFIGS. 11-13 for the sake of clarity.

Base (114) includes a mounting plate (116) that engages dock (72) ofrobotic arm cart (40). It should be noted that plate (116) is omittedfrom FIGS. 12-13 for the sake of clarity. While not shown, it should beunderstood that base (114) may also include one or more electricalcontacts and/or other features operable to establish electricalcommunication with a complementary feature of dock (72). A shaft supportstructure (122) extends upwardly from base (114) and provides support toshaft assembly (160) (while still allowing shaft assembly (160) torotate). By way of example only, shaft support structure (122) mayinclude a busing, bearings, and/or other features that facilitaterotation of shaft assembly (160) relative to support structure (122). Asshown in FIG. 10, base (114) further includes four drive discs (120)that are rotatable relative to plate (116). Each disc (120) includes apair of unitary pins (121) that couple with complementary recesses (notshown) in drive elements of dock (72). In some versions, one pin (121)of each pair is closer to the axis of rotation of the corresponding disc(120), to ensure proper angular orientation of disc (120) relative tothe corresponding drive element of dock (72). As best seen in FIGS.11-13, a drive shaft (124, 125, 126, 127) extends unitarily upwardlyfrom each disc (120). As will be described in greater detail below,discs (120) are operable to provide independent rotation of shaftassembly (160), bending of articulation section (170), and translationof firing beam (190), through rotation of drive shafts (124, 125, 126,127).

As best seen in FIG. 11, a first helical gear (130) is fixedly securedto drive shaft (124), such that rotation of the corresponding disc (120)provides rotation of first helical gear (130). First helical gear (130)meshes with a second helical gear (132), which is fixedly secured torotary coupling (164). Thus, rotation of first helical gear (130)provides rotation of shaft assembly (160). It should be understood thatrotation of first helical gear (130) about a first axis is convertedinto rotation of second helical gear (132) about a second axis, which isorthogonal to the first axis. A clockwise (CW) rotation of secondhelical gear (132) results in CW rotation of shaft assembly (160). Acounter-clockwise (CCW) rotation of second helical gear (132) results inCCW rotation of shaft assembly (160). Other suitable ways in which shaftassembly (160) may be rotated will be apparent to those of ordinaryskill in the art in view of the teachings herein.

As best seen in FIGS. 11-12, a spur gear (134) is fixedly secured todrive shaft (125), such that rotation of the corresponding disc (120)provides rotation of spur gear (134). Spur gear (134) meshes with afirst spur pinion (136), which is fixedly secured to a pinion shaft(138). Pinion shaft (138) is supported by base (116) and rotates freelyrelative to base (116), such that first spur pinion (136) is rotatableas an idler. It should therefore be understood that first spur pinion(136) rotates in response to rotation of spur gear (134). First spurpinion (136) also meshes with a rack (140), which is fixedly secured toa drive block (142). Drive block (142) is secured to firing beamcoupling (166). Thus, rotation of first spur pinion (136) is convertedto translation of firing beam (190) via rack (140), drive block (142),and firing beam coupling (166). As noted above, firing beam (190) isoperable to first close jaws (182, 184) together about tissue during afirst range of distal travel of firing beam (190); then sever the tissueclamped between jaws (182, 184) during a first range of distal travel offiring beam (190). Thus tissue may be clamped and severed by rotation ofdrive shaft (125) via its corresponding disc (120). When this rotationis reversed, firing beam (190) retracts proximally, ultimately openingjaws (182, 184) to release tissue. Other suitable ways in which firingbeam (190) may be translated will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art in view of the teachings herein.

With respect to articulation control, FIGS. 11-12 show a second spurpinion (144) fixedly secured to drive shaft (126), such that rotation ofthe corresponding disc (120) provides rotation of second spur pinion(144). Second spur pinion (144) meshes with a left rack (146), which isfixedly secured to articulation beam (174). It should be understood thatarticulation beam (174) will translate distally or proximally inresponse to rotation of drive shaft (126). Similarly, FIGS. 11 and 13show a third spur pinion (148) fixedly secured to drive shaft (127),such that rotation of the corresponding disc (120) provides rotation ofthird spur pinion (148). Third spur pinion (148) meshes with a rightrack (150), which is fixedly secured to articulation beam (176). Itshould be understood that articulation beam (176) will translatedistally or proximally in response to rotation of drive shaft (127).

It should also be understood that drive shafts (126, 127) may be rotatedin the same direction simultaneously in order to provide opposingtranslation of beams (174, 176). For instance, drive shaft (126) may berotated clockwise to retract beam (174) proximally, with drive shaft(127) being rotated clockwise to advance beam (176) distally, to therebydeflect end effector (180) to the left (L) at articulation section(170). Conversely, drive shaft (126) may be rotated counter-clockwise toadvance beam (174) distally, with drive shaft (127) being rotatedcounter-clockwise to retract beam (176) proximally, to deflect endeffector (180) to the left (R) at articulation section (170). Othersuitable ways in which end effector (180) may be articulated atarticulation section (170) will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art in view of the teachings herein. By way of example only,articulation control may be provided in accordance with at least some ofthe teachings of U.S. Pub. No. 201210078243, the disclosure of which isincorporated by reference herein; and/or U.S. Pub. No. 2013/0023868, thedisclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. It should alsobe understood that some versions of instrument (100) may simply lack anarticulation section (170) and corresponding control.

D. Exemplary Operation

In an exemplary use, arm cart (40) is used to insert end effector (180)into a patient via a trocar. Articulation section (170) is substantiallystraight when end effector (180) and part of shaft assembly (160) areinserted through the trocar. Drive shaft (124) may be rotated throughdrive features in dock (72) that are coupled with the corresponding disc(120), to position end effector (180) at a desired angular orientationrelative to the tissue. Drive shafts (126, 126) may then be rotatedthrough drive features in dock (72) that are coupled with thecorresponding discs (120), to pivot or flex articulation section (170)of shaft assembly (160) in order to position end effector (180) at adesired position and orientation relative to an anatomical structurewithin the patient. Two layers of tissue of the anatomical structure arethen captured between jaws (182, 184) by rotating drive shaft (125) toadvance firing beam (190) distally through a first range of motion. Suchlayers of tissue may be part of the same natural lumen defininganatomical structure (e.g., blood vessel, portion of gastrointestinaltract, portion of reproductive system, etc.) in a patient. For instance,one tissue layer may comprise the top portion of a blood vessel whilethe other tissue layer may comprise the bottom portion of the bloodvessel, along the same region of length of the blood vessel (e.g., suchthat the fluid path through the blood vessel before use of instrument(100) is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis defined by end effector(180), etc.). In other words, the lengths of jaws (182, 184) may beoriented perpendicular to (or at least generally transverse to) thelength of the blood vessel. As noted above, flanges (192, 196) camminglyact to pivot jaw (182) toward jaw (184) when firing beam (190) isactuated distally by rotating drive shaft (125).

With tissue layers captured between jaws (182, 184) firing beam (190)continues to advance distally in response to continued rotation of driveshaft (125). As firing beam (190) continues to advance distally, distalblade (194) simultaneously severs the clamped tissue layers, resultingin separated upper layer portions being apposed with respectiveseparated lower layer portions. In some versions, this results in ablood vessel being cut in a direction that is generally transverse tothe length of the blood vessel. It should be understood that thepresence of flanges (192, 196) immediately above and below jaws (182,184), respectively, may help keep jaws (182, 184) in a closed andtightly clamping position. In particular, flanges (192, 196) may helpmaintain a significantly compressive force between jaws (182, 184). Withsevered tissue layer portions being compressed between jaws (182, 184),electrode surfaces (186, 187) are activated with bipolar RF energy bythe surgeon providing a corresponding command input through controller(30) (e.g., through user input assembly (32) or footswitches (38),etc.). In some versions, electrodes (186, 187) are selectively coupledwith power source (102) such that electrode surface (186, 187) of jaws(182, 184) are activated with a common first polarity while firing beam(190) is activated at a second polarity that is opposite to the firstpolarity. Thus, a bipolar RF current flows between firing beam (190) andelectrode surfaces (186, 187) of jaws (182, 184), through the compressedregions of severed tissue layer portions. In some other versions,electrode surface (186) has one polarity while electrode surface (187)and firing beam (190) both have the other polarity. In either version(among at least some others), bipolar RF energy delivered by powersource (102) ultimately thermally welds the tissue layer portions on oneside of firing beam (190) together and the tissue layer portions on theother side of firing beam (190) together.

In certain circumstances, the heat generated by activated electrodesurfaces (186, 187) can denature the collagen within the tissue layerportions and, in cooperation with clamping pressure provided by jaws(182, 184), the denatured collagen can form a seal within the tissuelayer portions. Thus, the severed ends of the natural lumen defininganatomical structure are hemostatically sealed shut, such that thesevered ends will not leak bodily fluids. In some versions, electrodesurface (186, 187) may be activated with bipolar RF energy before firingbeam (190) even begins to translate distally and thus before the tissueis even severed. Other suitable ways in which instrument (100) may beoperable and operated will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in theart in view of the teachings herein.

III. Exemplary Alternative Electrosurgical Instrument with ArticulationFeature and Separable Compartment

FIG. 14 shows an exemplary alternative electrosurgical instrument (200).Instrument (200) of this example is substantially similar to instrument(100) described above in that instrument (200) has a shaft assembly(202), an articulation section (204), and an end effector (206) that aresubstantially identical to shaft assembly (160), articulation section(170), and end effector (180) described above. Instrument (200) of thisexample is also operable to couple with a dock (72) of robotic arm cart(40) via an interface assembly (210). However, interface assembly (210)of this example is different from interface assembly (110) describedabove.

Interface assembly (210) comprises a housing (212) and a base (214).Housing (212) is operable to snap against base (214), though it will beappreciated that any suitable means for connecting housing (212) andbase (214) may be used as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill inthe art. Interface assembly (210) further comprises a shaft cartridge(220), which may be seen in FIG. 15. Shaft cartridge (220) is positionedat the proximal end of shaft assembly (202). Furthermore, shaftcartridge (220) is sized such that housing (212) and base (214) mayenclose shaft cartridge (220) completely.

Housing (212) is shaped as an upper clamshell-like structure for closingupon base (214) and holding a portion of shaft cartridge (220). Housing(212) comprises screw holes (221) operable to receive screws (224) frombase (214), which are shown in FIG. 18. Housing (212) further comprisesa half sleeve (222). Half sleeve (222) is shaped as a half pipe, but mayhave any suitable shape operable to receive a portion of shaft assembly(202). Half sleeve (222) comprises a slot (223) shaped to couple withshaft assembly (202) such that once shaft assembly (202) fits withinhalf sleeve (222), the engagement between slot (223) and shaft assembly(202) prevents longitudinal motion of shaft assembly (202). However,half sleeve (222) allows shaft assembly (202) to rotate even though halfsleeve (222) prevents translation of shaft assembly (202) relative tohousing (212). It will be appreciated that that in some versions, slot(223) may be omitted entirely.

FIG. 17 shows shaft cartridge (220) with shaft assembly (202) extendingoutwardly from shaft cartridge (220). Shaft cartridge (220) includes ashell (219) operable to hold a variety of components, which will bediscussed below and are contained fully within shell (219). Base (214)is operable to receive shaft cartridge (220). While the exemplaryversion contemplates shaft cartridge (220) holding shaft assembly (202),with shaft assembly (202) having an electrosurgical end effector (206),it will be appreciated that other suitable shaft cartridges (220)compatible with other types of end effectors may be used as well. Forinstance, in the alternative or in addition to an electrosurgical endeffector (206), an ultrasonic end effector or a stapling end effectormay be used. Other suitable end effectors for manipulating tissue may beused as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in view ofthe teachings herein. Shaft cartridge (220) comprises a first helicalgear (230) that meshes with a shaft helical gear (231). Shaft helicalgear (231) is unitarily coupled with tube (249) of shaft assembly (202)such that shaft helical gear (231) is operable to rotate shaft assembly(202).

Shaft cartridge (220) further comprises a cam cylinder (232) and a driveblock (234). Cam cylinder (232) defines a shaft opening (233) operableto receive a drive shaft as will be discussed in further detail below.Drive block (234) defines a cam opening (243) through which cam cylinder(232) extends. As seen in FIG. 19, cam opening (243) is shaped as anelongate slot. Cam opening (243) defines two diameters: D1 and D2. Asseen in FIG. 19, cam cylinder (232) has roughly the same size diameteras D1, whereas cam cylinder (232) has a smaller diameter than D2. As aresult, as cam cylinder (232) rotates within cam opening (243), driveblock (234) oscillates back and forth longitudinally. Drive block (234)is in communication with holder (244) which is operable to grip shaftring (235). Shaft ring (235) is able to freely rotate while being heldby holder (244). As drive block (234) translates distally andproximally, shaft ring (235) also translates distally and proximally. Itwill be appreciated that shaft ring (235) may be coupled with a firingbeam (190) such as one seen in FIG. 8. As a result, shaft ring (235) isoperable to drive firing beam (190) longitudinally along shaft assembly(202).

Shaft cartridge (220) also comprises a spur gear (236), which mesheswith a first rack (237) and a second rack (238). First rack (237) andsecond rack (238) are positioned on opposing sides of spur gear (236).First rack (237) includes an integral first clip (241), which is securedto a first drive ring (263) as will be described in greater detailbelow. Second rack (238) includes an integral second clip (240) at theend of an integral rack arm (239). Second clip (240) is secured to asecond drive ring (262) as will be described in greater detail below.When spur gear (236) rotates, first rack (237) and second rack (238)move in opposing longitudinal directions. As a result, rotation of spurgear (236) in one direction causes first clip (241) and second clip(240) to spread apart whereas rotation in the opposite direction causesfirst clip (241) and second clip (240) to translate toward each other.It will be appreciated that spur gear (236), first helical gear (230),and cam cylinder (232) are operable to engage a plurality of driveshafts which will be discussed below.

FIG. 18 shows base (214), which comprises a first drive shaft (245), asecond drive shaft (246), and a third drive shaft (247). Base (214)further comprises free shafts (273). Free shafts (273) in the presentexample extend upwardly, perpendicularly away from base (214). Freeshafts (273) do not rotate and are not configured to drive any portionof interface assembly (220). Drive shafts (245, 246, 247) also extendupwardly and are aligned generally with shaft cartridge (220). Inparticular, first drive shaft (245) is aligned with first helical gear(230), second drive shaft (246) is aligned with shaft opening (233), andthird drive shaft (247) is aligned with spur gear (236). As a result,when shaft cartridge (220) is joined with base (214), first drive shaft(245) engages first helical gear (230), second drive shaft (246) engagesshaft opening (233), and third drive shaft (247) engages spur gear(236). When second drive shaft (246) engages shaft opening (233), shaftopening (233) and second drive shaft (246) are offset from thelongitudinal axis of cam cylinder (232). As a result, cam cylinder (232)is operable to rotate eccentrically in relation to drive block (234).FIG. 19 depicts drive features of base (214) joined with shaft cartridge(220), though shell (219) and the outer housing of base (214) have beenremoved for visibility purposes.

Drive shafts (245, 246, 247) are in communication with a plurality ofdrive plates (248, 250, 251). First drive shaft (245) connects to firstdrive plate (248), second drive shaft (246) connects to second driveplate (250), and third drive shaft (247) connects to third drive plate(251). Drive plates (248, 250, 251) may be coupled with, for example,drive discs (120) of FIG. 10. Drive discs (120) are operable to rotatedrive plates (248, 250, 251), thereby controlling and rotating driveshafts (245, 246, 247).

As can been seen in FIG. 20, rotating first drive plate (248) isoperable to rotate first helical gear (230), which turns shaft helicalgear (231), which rotates tube (249) of shaft assembly (202). It will beunderstood that first drive plate (248) may be independently driven, andthe resultant turning of shaft assembly (202) may be operable to rotateend effector (206). Rotating second drive plate (250) is operable toactuate drive block (234) such that a firing beam may be drivenlongitudinally through shaft assembly (202). Finally, rotating thirddrive plate (251) is operable to drive first clip (241) and second clip(240) longitudinally toward each other or to spread them apartlongitudinally. In particular, spur gear (236) causes first rack (237)and second rack (238) to move in opposing directions to spread firstclip (241) and second clip (240) apart or to drive clips (240, 241)toward each other longitudinally.

Moving to FIG. 21, as first clip (241) and second clip (240) translatetoward or away from each other, first clip (241) and second clip (240)push and pull first articulation beam (260) and second articulation beam(261), respectively, within tube (249). First articulation beam (260) issecured to an integral anchor block (267) of drive ring (263). As notedabove, clip (241) is secured to drive ring (263). Thus, firstarticulation beam (260) will translate longitudinally with clip (241).Similarly, second articulation beam (261) is secured to an integralanchor block (265) of drive ring (262). As noted above, clip (240) issecured to drive ring (262). Thus, second articulation beam (261) willtranslate longitudinally with clip (240). Thus, as first clip (241) andsecond clip (240) translate toward each other, first articulation beam(260) retracts proximally, longitudinally along tube (249) while secondarticulation beam (261) advances distally, longitudinally along tube(249). When first clip (241) and second clip (240) move apart from eachother, first articulation beam (260) advances distally, longitudinallyalong tube (249) while second articulation beam (261) retractsproximally, longitudinally along tube (249). It will be appreciated thatthis pushing and pulling of articulation beams (260, 261) iscommunicated to articulation section (204) to effectuate articulation ofend effector (206).

IV. Exemplary Alternative Electrosurgical Instrument with ArticulationFeature and Removable Interface Assembly Housing

FIG. 22 shows an exemplary alternative electrosurgical instrument (300).Instrument (300) of this example is substantially similar to instrument(100) described above in that instrument (300) has a shaft assembly(302), an articulation section (304), and an end effector (306) that aresubstantially identical to shaft assembly (160), articulation section(170), and end effector (180) described above. Instrument (300) of thisexample is also operable to couple with a dock (72) of robotic arm cart(40) via an interface assembly (310).

A cross sectional view of interface assembly (310) can be seen in FIG.23. Interface assembly (310) comprises a housing (312), a base (314),and a door (313) (seen in FIG. 22). Door (313) is sized such that shaftassembly (302) is operable to fit through door (313) and fit withinhousing (312). Once shaft assembly (302) is placed in interface assembly(310), door (313) is operable to pivot to a closed position (not shown),thereby enclosing the proximal portion of shaft assembly (302) ininterface assembly (310). While the exemplary version shows door (313)as being a hinged door, it will be appreciated that any suitable openingmechanism may be used as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill inthe art. For instance, door (313) may comprise a sliding door, a snap-ondoor, or any other suitable door structure. Furthermore, while door(313) is positioned generally in the center, top of housing (312), door(313) may be positioned at any suitable location along housing (312).Furthermore, door (313) may be larger than shown in FIG. 22. Indeed,door (313) may be larger or smaller so long as door (313) canaccommodate shaft assembly (302). Housing (312) comprises a half sleeve(222). Half sleeve (322) is shaped as a half pipe, but may have anysuitable shape operable to receive a portion of shaft assembly (302).Half sleeve (322) comprises a slot (323) shaped to couple withengagement ring (370) (seen in FIG. 24) of shaft assembly (302) suchthat once shaft assembly (302) fits within half sleeve (322), theengagement between slot (323) and engagement ring (370) preventslongitudinal motion of shaft assembly (302). However, half sleeve (322)allows shaft assembly (302) to rotate even though half sleeve (322)prevents translation of shaft assembly (302) relative to housing (312).It will be appreciated that that in some versions, slot (323) may beomitted entirely.

FIG. 24 shows shaft assembly (302) extending outwardly from housing(312). Shaft assembly (302) comprises a first helical gear (330) thatmeshes with a shaft helical gear (331). It will be appreciated thatfirst helical gear (330) and shaft helical gear (331) are substantiallysimilar to first helical gear (230) and shaft helical gear (231) of FIG.17. Shaft helical gear (331) is unitarily coupled with tube (349) ofshaft assembly (302) such that driving shaft helical gear (331) isoperable to rotate shaft assembly (302).

Housing (312) further comprises a cam cylinder (332) and a drive block(334). It will be understood that cam cylinder (332) and drive block(334) are substantially similar to cam cylinder (232) and drive block(234) of FIG. 17. Cam cylinder (332) defines a shaft opening operable toreceive a drive shaft (346) as will be discussed in further detailbelow. Drive block (334) defines a cam opening (343) through which camcylinder (332) extends. As seen in FIG. 24, cam opening (343) is shapedas an elongate slot. Cam opening (343) defines two diameters: D3 and D4.As seen in the illustrated version, cam cylinder (332) has roughly thesame size diameter as D3, whereas cam cylinder (332) has a smallerdiameter than D4. As a result of eccentricity and difference indiameters, as cam cylinder (332) rotates within cam opening (343), driveblock (334) oscillates back and forth longitudinally. Drive block (334)is in communication with holder (344) which is operable to cradle shaftring (335). Shaft ring (335) in the exemplary version is shaped toextend around only a portion of the circumference of tube (349). It willbe understood that holder (344) and shaft ring (335) are substantiallysimilar to holder (244) and shaft ring (235) of FIG. 17. Holder (344)has a half ring shape, though any suitable shape operable to cradleshaft ring (335) may be used. Shaft ring (335) is able to freely rotatewhile being held by holder (344). As drive block (334) translatesdistally and proximally, shaft ring (335) also translates distally andproximally. It will be appreciated that shaft ring (335) may be coupledwith a firing beam (190) such as one seen in FIG. 8. As a result, shaftring (335) is operable to drive firing beam (190) longitudinally alongshaft assembly (302).

Housing (312) also comprises a spur gear (336), which meshes with afirst rack (337) and a second rack (338). It will be appreciated thatspur gear (336), first rack (237), and second rack (338) aresubstantially similar to spur gear (236), first rack (337) and secondrack (238) of FIG. 17. First rack (337) and second rack (338) arepositioned on opposing sides of spur gear (336). First rack (337) is incommunication with a first half ring (341) whereas second rack (338) isin communication with a second half ring (340) through a rack arm (339).When spur gear (336) rotates, first rack (337) and second rack (338)move in opposing longitudinal directions. As a result, rotation of spurgear (336) in one direction causes first half ring (341) and second halfring (340) to spread apart whereas rotation in the opposite directioncauses first half ring (341) and second half ring (340) to translatetoward each other.

It will be appreciated that spur gear (336), first helical gear (330),and cam cylinder (332) are operable to engage a plurality of driveshafts (345, 346, 347). Drive shafts (345, 346, 347) are positioned suchthat at least two of drive shafts (345, 346, 347) are positioned onopposing sides of door (313). Drive shafts (345, 346, 347) extendupwardly, generally perpendicular to shaft assembly (302) and arealigned generally with housing (312). In particular, first drive shaft(345) is aligned with first helical gear (330) and third drive shaft(347) is aligned with spur gear (336). Second drive shaft (346) isoffset from the longitudinal axis of cam cylinder (332). As a result,cam cylinder (332) is operable to rotate eccentrically in relation todrive block (334). Unlike the exemplary version shown in FIG. 14, firstdrive shaft (345) continually engages first helical gear (330), seconddrive shaft (346) continually engages cam cylinder (332), and thirddrive shaft (347) continually engages spur gear (336). Base (314)further comprises free shafts (373). Free shafts (373) in the exemplaryversion point upwardly, perpendicularly away from base (314). Freeshafts (373) do not rotate and are not configured to drive any portionof interface assembly (320).

Drive shafts (345, 346, 347) are in communication with a plurality ofdrive plates similar to drive plates (248, 250, 251) of FIG. 19 suchthat the drive plates may be coupled with, for example, drive discs(120) of FIG. 10. Drive discs (120) are operable to rotate the driveplates, thereby rotating drive shafts (345, 346, 347).

Similarly to the version shown in FIG. 15, first drive shaft (345) isoperable to rotate first helical gear (330), which turns shaft helicalgear (331), which rotates tube (349) of shaft assembly (302). It will beunderstood that first drive shaft (345) may be independently driven, andthe resultant turning of shaft assembly (302) may be operable to rotateend effector (306). Rotating second drive shaft (346) is operable toactuate drive block (334) such that a firing beam may be drivenlongitudinally through shaft assembly (302). Finally, rotating thirddrive shaft (347) is operable drive first half ring (341) and secondhalf ring (340) longitudinally toward each other or to spread them apartlongitudinally. In particular, spur gear (336) causes first rack (337)and second rack (338) to move in opposing directions, thereby movingfirst half ring (341) and second half ring (340). It will be appreciatedthat the movement of first half ring (341) and second half ring (340) isoperable to engage articulation beams substantially similar toarticulation beams (260, 261) shown in FIG. 21 in order to communicatemotion to articulation section (304) and articulate end effector (306).

V. Exemplary Alternative Electrosurgical Instrument with ArticulationFeature and Housing with Shaft Assembly

FIG. 25 shows an exemplary alternative electrosurgical instrument (400).Instrument (400) of this example is substantially similar to instrument(100) described above in that instrument (400) has a shaft assembly(402), an articulation section (404), and an end effector (406) that aresubstantially identical to shaft assembly (160), articulation section(170), and end effector (180) described above. Instrument (400) of thisexample is also operable to couple with a dock (72) of robotic arm cart(40) via an interface assembly (410). However, interface assembly (410)of this example is different from interface assembly (110) describedabove.

Interface assembly (410) comprises a housing (412) and a base (414).Generally speaking, interface assembly (410) differs from interfaceassembly (110) above in that housing (412) of interface assembly (410)incorporates shaft assembly (402). FIG. 26 shows housing (412) withshaft assembly (402) incorporated into housing (412). Specifically,shaft assembly (402) extends directly from housing (412). However, itwill be appreciated that any suitable method of incorporating shaftassembly (402) and housing (412) may be used as would be apparent to oneof ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings herein. Housing(412) comprises a pair of screw holes (422) operable to receive screws(423) from base (414) such that housing (412) becomes affixed to base(414). Alternatively, housing (412) may be snap-fit to base (414),clipped to base (414), clamped to base (414), or otherwise coupled withbase (414).

Shaft assembly (402) comprises a shaft helical gear (420) and a tube(449). Shaft helical gear (420) is unitarily secured to tube (449) suchthat shaft helical gear (420) rotates tube (449). As a result, rotatingshaft helical gear (420) is operable to rotate end effector (406) withtube (449) about the longitudinal axis defined by tube (449).Furthermore, shaft assembly (402) comprises a firing ring (440) and afiring tube (441). Firing ring (440) is unitarily secured to firing tube(441) such that firing ring (440) is operable to translate firing tube(441). Firing tube (441) is slidably disposed in tube (449).Furthermore, firing tube (441) is unitarily secured to a firing beamsuch as firing beam (190) shown in FIG. 8. Firing ring (440) is operableto longitudinally translate, which translates firing tube (441) withintube (449) to advance the firing beam or to retract the firing beam.Shaft assembly (402) also comprises a first ring (460) and second ring(461). First and second rings (460, 461) are coupled with a pair ofarticulation beams such as first articulation beam (260) and secondarticulation beam (261) of FIG. 21 in order to communicate motion toarticulation section (404) and articulate end effector (406).

As shown in FIG. 27, base (414) comprises a first drive shaft (424) anda first helical gear (425). First drive shaft (424) and first helicalgear (425) are unitarily coupled such that rotation of first drive shaft(424) rotates first helical gear (425). Base (414) further comprisessecond drive shaft (426), a first spur gear (427), a rack (428), and atube tray (430). Second drive shaft (426) and first spur gear (427) areunitarily coupled such that second drive shaft (426) rotates first spurgear (427). First spur gear (427) meshes with rack (428) such that asfirst spur gear (427) rotates, rack (428) advances or retractslongitudinally depending on the direction first spur gear (427) rotates.Rack (428) is coupled with tube tray (430) such that tube tray (430)advances or retracts longitudinally with rack (428). Tube tray (430) isconfigured to hold firing ring (440) of shaft assembly (402). As aresult, second drive shaft (426) is operable to advance and retractfiring ring (430), which can advance and retract a firing beam withinshaft assembly (402).

Base (414) also comprises a third drive shaft (431), a first cam (432),a second cam (433), a first pivotal arm (434) and a second pivotal arm(435). Third drive shaft (431) is unitarily coupled with first cam (432)and second cam (433). As a result, third drive shaft (431) is operableto rotate first cam (432) and second cam (433). First cam (432) andsecond cam (433) are eccentrically positioned along drive shaft (431) inan opposingly offset manner such that first cam (432) and second cam(433) extend in opposing directions from third drive shaft (431). Forinstance, FIG. 28 shows how first cam (432) and second cam (433) areopposingly positioned in relation to third drive shaft (431).

First pivotal arm (434) and second pivotal arm (435) are operable topivot about respective pins (436, 437). First and second pivotal arms(434, 435) are in communication with articulation beams substantiallysimilar to articulation beams (260, 261) shown in FIG. 21 in order tocommunicate motion to articulation section (404) and articulate endeffector (406). The following example will refer to first ring (460) asbeing coupled with articulation beam (260) and second ring (461) asbeing coupled with articulation beam (261). As drive shaft (431)rotates, first cam (432) drives first pivotal arm (434) proximally awayfrom end effector (406). First pivotal arm (434) drives first ring (460)proximally thereby pulling articulation beam (260) proximally. Thisproximal movement of articulation beam causes articulation section (404)to flex toward articulation beam (260), thereby laterally deflecting endeffector (406) away from the longitudinal axis of shaft assembly (402)toward articulation beam (260). This flexing of articulation section(404) pulls articulation beam (261) distally, which in turn pulls secondring (461). Due to the offset eccentric relationship of cams (432, 433),second cam (433) is positioned to allow second ring (461) to pivotsecond pivotal arm (435) distally when first cam (432) drives firstpivotal arm (435) proximally as described above.

Drive shaft (431) may be rotated to a point where articulation section(404) reaches a maximum degree of articulation. To straightenarticulation section (404) back out, the above operation may simply bereversed by reversing the rotation of drive shaft (431). Alternatively,if drive shaft (431) continues rotating in the same first direction,second cam (433) will start to pivot second pivotal arm (435)proximally, which will drive second ring (461) proximally, which will inturn pull articulation beam (261) proximally. This will pullarticulation section (404) toward articulation beam (261), which willthen pull articulation beam (260) distally. This distal movement ofarticulation beam (260) will pull first ring (460) distally, which willpivot first pivotal arm (434) distally. Again, due to the offseteccentric relationship of cams (432, 433), cam (432) will provideclearance for distal pivotal movement of first pivotal arm (434) at thisstage. Drive shaft (431) may continue rotating until articulationsection (404) is straightened or even until articulation section (404)begins to deflect end effector (406) laterally away from thelongitudinal axis of shaft assembly (402) in a direction opposite to thearticulation direction provided when first articulation beam (460) ispulled proximally. Thus, it should be understood that third drive shaft(431) is operable to articulate end effector (406) by laterallydeflecting end effector (406) away from the longitudinal axis of shaftassembly (402) at articulation section (404).

Furthermore, it will be understood that first drive shaft (424), seconddrive shaft (426), and third drive shaft (431) are operable to engagedrive discs (120) such as those shown in FIG. 10. As a result, the usermay control drive discs (120) to effectuate motions described above.

VI. Miscellaneous

It should be understood that an interface assembly may include anintegral power source such as a battery, and that such a battery mayprovide at least some of any electrical power required to operate thesurgical instrument of the interface assembly. In other words, aninterface assembly may provide electrical power to one or morecomponents of the associated surgical instrument from a source that isinternal to the interface assembly and/or from a source that is externalto the interface assembly (e.g., through system (10)). Regardless ofwhere the source is located, the interface assembly may include one ormore conductive clips, contacts, and/or other features that provideautomatic electrical coupling with the shaft assembly when the shaftassembly is mechanically coupled with the interface assembly. Varioussuitable ways in which a shaft assembly and an interface assembly may beelectrically coupled will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in theart in view of the teachings herein.

Furthermore, an interface assembly may be configured to couple with avariety of types of modular shaft cartridges/assemblies. Such modularshaft cartridges/assemblies may provide inter-modality and/orintra-modality variation. Examples of inter-modality variation mayinclude a single interface assembly being able to selectively couplewith different shaft cartridges/assemblies having a variety of endeffectors that include staplers, RF electrosurgical features, ultrasoniccutting features, etc. Examples of intra-modality variation may includea single interface assembly being able to selectively couple withdifferent RF electrosurgical shaft cartridges/assemblies having avariety of end effectors that include straight jaws, curved jaws, etc.Other inter-modality variations and intra-modality variations will beapparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachingsherein.

It should be understood that any of the versions of instrumentsdescribed herein may include various other features in addition to or inlieu of those described above. By way of example only, any of theinstruments described herein may also include one or more of the variousfeatures disclosed in any of the various references that areincorporated by reference herein.

While the examples herein are described mainly in the context ofelectrosurgical instruments, it should be understood that variousteachings herein may be readily applied to a variety of other types ofdevices. By way of example only, the various teachings herein may bereadily applied to other types of electrosurgical instruments, tissuegraspers, tissue retrieval pouch deploying instruments, surgicalstaplers, surgical clip appliers, ultrasonic surgical instruments, etc.

In versions where the teachings herein are applied to a surgicalstapling instrument, it should be understood that the teachings hereinmay be combined with the teachings of one or more of the following, thedisclosures of all of which are incorporated by reference herein: U.S.Pat. Nos. 7,380,696; 7,404,508; 7,455,208; 7,506,790; 7,549,564;7,559,450; 7,654,431; 7,780,054; 7,784,662; and/or U.S. Pat. No.7,798,386. Other suitable ways in which the teachings herein may beapplied to a surgical stapling instrument will be apparent to those ofordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings herein.

In versions where the teachings herein are applied to an ultrasonicsurgical instrument, it should be understood that some such instrumentsmay lack a translating firing beam. The components described herein fortranslating a firing beam may instead simply translate a jaw closingmember. Alternatively, such translating features may simply be omitted.In any case, it should be understood that the teachings herein may becombined with the teachings of one or more of the following: U.S. Pat.Pub. No. 2006/0079874, entitled “Tissue Pad for Use with an UltrasonicSurgical Instrument.” published Apr. 13, 2006, the disclosure of whichis incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2007/0191713,entitled “Ultrasonic Device for Cutting and Coagulating,” published Aug.16, 2007, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein;U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2007/0282333, entitled “Ultrasonic Waveguide andBlade,” published Dec. 6, 2007, the disclosure of which is incorporatedby reference herein; U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2008/0200940, entitled“Ultrasonic Device for Cutting and Coagulating.” published Aug. 21,2008, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S.Pat. Pub. No. 2011/0015660, entitled “Rotating Transducer Mount forUltrasonic Surgical Instruments,” published Jan. 20, 2011, thedisclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein; U.S. Pat. No.6,500,176, entitled “Electrosurgical Systems and Techniques for SealingTissue,” issued Dec. 31, 2002, the disclosure of which is incorporatedby reference herein; U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2011/0087218, entitled “SurgicalInstrument Comprising First and Second Drive Systems Actuatable by aCommon Trigger Mechanism,” published Apr. 14, 2011, the disclosure ofwhich is incorporated by reference herein; and/or U.S. Pat. No.6,783,524, entitled “Robotic Surgical Tool with Ultrasound Cauterizingand Cutting Instrument,” issued Aug. 31, 2004, the disclosure of whichis incorporated by reference herein. Other suitable ways in which theteachings herein may be applied to an ultrasonic surgical instrumentwill be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of theteachings herein.

It should also be understood that the teachings herein may be readilyapplied to any of the instruments described in any of the otherreferences cited herein, such that the teachings herein may be readilycombined with the teachings of any of the references cited herein innumerous ways. Other types of instruments into which the teachingsherein may be incorporated will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art.

It should be appreciated that any patent, publication, or otherdisclosure material, in whole or in part, that is said to beincorporated by reference herein is incorporated herein only to theextent that the incorporated material does not conflict with existingdefinitions, statements, or other disclosure material set forth in thisdisclosure. As such, and to the extent necessary, the disclosure asexplicitly set forth herein supersedes any conflicting materialincorporated herein by reference. Any material, or portion thereof, thatis said to be incorporated by reference herein, but which conflicts withexisting definitions, statements, or other disclosure material set forthherein will only be incorporated to the extent that no conflict arisesbetween that incorporated material and the existing disclosure material.

Versions described above may be designed to be disposed of after asingle use, or they can be designed to be used multiple times. Versionsmay, in either or both cases, be reconditioned for reuse after at leastone use. Reconditioning may include any combination of the steps ofdisassembly of the device, followed by cleaning or replacement ofparticular pieces, and subsequent reassembly. In particular, someversions of the device may be disassembled, and any number of theparticular pieces or parts of the device may be selectively replaced orremoved in any combination. Upon cleaning and/or replacement ofparticular parts, some versions of the device may be reassembled forsubsequent use either at a reconditioning facility, or by a userimmediately prior to a procedure. Those skilled in the art willappreciate that reconditioning of a device may utilize a variety oftechniques for disassembly, cleaning/replacement, and reassembly. Use ofsuch techniques, and the resulting reconditioned device, are all withinthe scope of the present application.

By way of example only, versions described herein may be sterilizedbefore and/or after a procedure. In one sterilization technique, thedevice is placed in a closed and sealed container, such as a plastic orTYVEK bag. The container and device may then be placed in a field ofradiation that can penetrate the container, such as gamma radiation,x-rays, or high-energy electrons. The radiation may kill bacteria on thedevice and in the container. The sterilized device may then be stored inthe sterile container for later use. A device may also be sterilizedusing any other technique known in the art, including but not limited tobeta or gamma radiation, ethylene oxide, or steam.

Having shown and described various embodiments of the present invention,further adaptations of the methods and systems described herein may beaccomplished by appropriate modifications by one of ordinary skill inthe art without departing from the scope of the present invention.Several of such potential modifications have been mentioned, and otherswill be apparent to those skilled in the art. For instance, theexamples, embodiments, geometrics, materials, dimensions, ratios, steps,and the like discussed above are illustrative and are not required.Accordingly, the scope of the present invention should be considered interms of the following claims and is understood not to be limited to thedetails of structure and operation shown and described in thespecification and drawings.

1-15. (canceled)
 16. An apparatus for operating on tissue, the apparatuscomprising: (a) an end effector operable to manipulate tissue; (b) ashaft assembly in communication with the end effector, wherein the endeffector extends distally from the shaft assembly; and (c) an interfaceassembly in selective communication with the shaft assembly, wherein theinterface assembly defines a longitudinal opening, wherein the interfaceassembly comprises a door and a plurality of drive shafts, wherein thedoor is dimensioned to close across the longitudinal opening, whereinthe interface assembly is configured to receive a portion of the shaftassembly through the longitudinal opening to selectively couple theshaft assembly with the interface assembly, wherein the interfaceassembly is configured to control the end effector through the shaftassembly while the interface assembly and the shaft assembly are coupledtogether wherein the plurality of drive shafts are positioned onopposing sides of the longitudinal opening.
 17. The apparatus of claim16, wherein the door extends along the entire length of the housing,wherein the housing comprises a sleeve portion shaped to complement theshaft assembly.
 18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the interfaceassembly is configured to receive a portion of the shaft assembly alonga transversely directed insertion path through the longitudinal opening.19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the plurality of drive shafts areoriented perpendicularly in relation of the shaft assembly.
 20. Anapparatus comprising: (a) an end effector operable to manipulate tissue;(b) a shaft assembly in communication with the end effector; and (c) aninterface assembly in communication with the shaft assembly, wherein theinterface assembly is configured to rotate and articulate the endeffector, wherein the interface assembly comprises: (i) a housing,wherein the shaft assembly is embedded in and extends through thehousing; and (ii) a base, wherein the housing is configured to closeonto the base to form the interface assembly, wherein the base comprisesa plurality of drive shafts configured to engage the shaft assembly,wherein the plurality of drive shafts are oriented perpendicularly inrelation to the shaft assembly.
 21. The apparatus of claim 16, whereinthe plurality of drive shafts of the interface assembly comprises afirst drive shaft attached to a first helical gear.
 22. The apparatus ofclaim 21, wherein the shaft assembly comprises a second helical geardimensioned to fit through the longitudinal opening defined by theinterface assembly.
 23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the secondhelical gear is configured to operatively mesh with the first helicalgear when the shaft assembly is coupled with the interface assembly. 24.The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the first drive shaft is configuredto rotate the shaft assembly and the end effector about a longitudinalaxis defined by a proximal portion of the shaft assembly.
 25. Theapparatus of claim 21, wherein the plurality of drive shafts comprises asecond drive shaft attached to a cam cylinder.
 26. The apparatus ofclaim 25, wherein the interface assembly further comprises a drive blockconfigured to translate relative to the second drive shaft in responseto rotation of the cam cylinder.
 27. The apparatus of claim 26, whereinthe drive block comprises a holder, wherein the shaft assembly comprisesa shaft ring configured to translate relative to a proximal portion ofthe shaft assembly, wherein the holder is configured to house the shaftring when the shaft assembly is coupled with the interface assembly. 28.The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the shaft assembly further comprisesa firing beam, wherein the shaft ring is coupled to the firing beam. 29.The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the firing beam extends into the endeffector.
 30. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the shaft assemblyextends along a longitudinal axis.
 31. The apparatus of claim 30,wherein the plurality of drive shafts comprises a first drive shaft,wherein the first drive shaft is configured to rotate the shaft assemblyabout the longitudinal axis.
 32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein theplurality of drive shafts comprises a second drive shaft configured toarticulate the end effector.
 33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein thesecond drive shaft is configured to rotate in a first angular directionto articulate the end effector in a first direction and a second,opposite, direction.
 34. An apparatus for operating on tissue, theapparatus comprising: (a) an end effector; (b) a shaft assembly incommunication with the end effector, wherein at least a portion of theshaft assembly extends proximally from the end effector, the shaftassembly comprising: (i) a firing beam, and (ii) a shaft ring; and (c)an interface assembly in communication with the shaft assembly, theinterface assembly comprising: (i) a housing portion, (ii) a shaftcartridge operable to be engaged by the housing portion, wherein theshaft cartridge is configured to rotate and articulate the end effector,wherein the shaft assembly extends distally from the shaft cartridge,the shaft cartridge comprising: (A) a cam cylinder, and (B) a driveblock in communication with the firing beam and comprising a holder,wherein the drive block defines an opening larger than the cam cylinder,wherein the cam cylinder is configured to rotate within the drive blockto effectuate motion of the firing beam within the shaft assembly,wherein the shaft ring is configured to rotate within the holder, andwherein the shaft ring and the firing beam are configured to translatetogether such that the drive block is operable to drive the firing beamvia the shaft ring, and (iii) a base portion, wherein the housingportion and the base portion are configured to enclose the shaftcartridge.
 35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the interface assemblycomprises a door configured to open and close in order to selectivelyreceive the shaft assembly.